


Dueling Season

by SansRene_KantGaster



Series: The Unified Theory Papers [11]
Category: Undertale
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:49:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29753622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansRene_KantGaster/pseuds/SansRene_KantGaster
Summary: This ficlet was written in the aftermath of me listening to theMOOOOOORTAAAAAL KOOOOOOMBAAAAT!!!theme song (not the original one), and feeling so forking excited, that I had to use that energy for something (that wasn't beating the living shirt out of anyone in the general vicinity).Spoilers for Chapter 43 onward of my main story,Visiontale... but that shouldn't? matter for this story.In my AU, this ficlet is set around mid-June? 2017 (as of 28/02/21, haven't pinned it down ye), but honestly, as long as it's set after about mid-July 2016, this doesn't conflict with "current" (as of February 27/28, 2021) canon.
Series: The Unified Theory Papers [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1176101





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to learn about the headcanon which this fanfic describes, in detail, then read the next chapter, once I've posted it.

Dueling Season  
  
Maybe [they] should’ve gotten out of bed.  
  
… SOONER.  
  
Maybe [they] should have realized, how serious the situation was, when ***he*** told {Shulk} the date… even though {she} damn well KNEW what day it was.  
  
The first day of Determination, 202X: AKA…  
  
… SOMEWHERE in late April, 2017.  
  
***His*** excited trembling in ***his*** soul, [they]can feel it, even from down the hall. The loose objects around [Chara’s] room 💙 **rattle** 💙, and the lights on the ceiling, though deactivated, 💙 **glow faintly blue** 💙.  
  
{“ ***Sa—*** SORRY—I mean ***JUDGE Sans***? Why is today so important? I don’t…”}  
  
{Shulk} searches for memories of something even [Chara] knows {she’s} never been told… but {Shulk} doesn’t KNOW that.  
  
***“… {You} should have LEARNED this MONTHS—NO.  
  
*“YEARS. Ago.  
  
*“HOWEVER, my fellow Zealdians and I, AGREED to withhold it.  
  
*“Such knowledge, though highly-prized among monsters, was not VITAL enough to TEACH {you}.  
  
*“After ALL, this knowledge only becomes TRULY salient, for 10, weeks: from NOW, until the END of the next INTERLUDE.”***  
  
{“So ***you*** had to wait till ❤️ **Determination** ❤️ of THIS year.  
  
{“So what IS it?”}  
  
… The 💙 **trembling** 💙: in [Chara’s] room, AND ***Sans’s*** “body” and soul, 💙 **grows faster** 💙. The metal surfaces all around [them], 💛 **crackle with energy** 💛, and a faint, 💛 **metallic, tingling** 💛 taste fills [their] mouth, along with a ❤️ **burning** ❤️ sensation, like [they] bit one of those ❤️ **spicy** ❤️ peppers that aren’t MEANT to be EATEN, but they’re in the food ANYWAY, for flavor.  
  
💙 **INTEGRITY.** 💙  
  
💛 **JUSTICE.** 💛  
  
❤️ **DETERMINATION.** ❤️  
  
[What could be so important that ***he’d*** be THIS formal?  
  
[… But also THIS, excited…??.  
  
[… … …  
  
[What’s that sound?]  
  
**LOOP THIS FOR THE REST OF THE STORY YEEEEEAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!**  
[MOOOOOORTAAAAAL KOOOOOOMBAAAAT!!! Theme Song (not the original one)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxsNnUAyfd4)  
  
[They] KNOW! [they’ve] heard this song before… but…  
  
***“—simpler than what you have done before.”***  
  
The intensity of ***Sans’s** magic rises rapidly, but {Shulk} STILL doesn’t acknowledge it. {“It CAN’T be harder than relearning all that soulology stuff—“}  
  
***“No!  
  
*“What {you} shall do…  
  
*“—is TEST.  
  
*“{YOUR}.  
  
*“MIGHT.”***  
  
Too late, [Chara] leaps out of bed, and sprints out the door, the unmistakable scream from the song cuing [them] into EXACTLY, which song ***Sans*** is playing on ***his*** phone… and {Shulk’s} phone… and {Shulk’s} laptop…  
  
**_“MOOOOORTAAAAAAL KOOOOOMBAAAAT!!!!!!!”_**  
  
It doesn’t matter whether {Shulk’s} screaming out of EXCITEMENT!, or PAIN, or CONFUSION. [They] HAVE! to be there!  
< br />  
Sprinting down the hall as fast as [their] legs—and [their] ❤️ **determination** ❤️—can carry [them], [Chara] trails ***Sans*** , who 💙 **drags** 💙 {Shulk}: only PARTIALLY via magic, toward the dining room—  
  
[YEP.  
  
[That’s {Shulk’s} EXCITED scream.]  
  
[Chara] is too out of breath to yell after ***{the two of them*}** … and [they’re] enjoying the music too much.  
  
By the time [Chara] arrives in the dining room, {shulk’s} already sitting in front of ***Sans’s*** laptop, {her} phone plugged into it, a blank—very-quickly-not-becoming-not-blank—document open on the screen. ***Sans*** stands behind {her}, yelling about…  
  
[They have no idea what. [They think?,[they] hear something about ***“novels”*** , or ***“history”*** , or *“Pokémon”*, or *“swordplay”*, but only Tesla KNOWS…  
  
What [Chara] DOES know, is that as ***he*** yells—or maybe, CASTS—a phrase at {her}, {Shulk} types names of books, or historical figures {she’s} studied, or Pokémon media {she’s} watched, and the schools of fencing which {her} training, during {her} first Zealdian year in the Underground, drew from.  
  
In between THOSE, {she} ALSO, types cartoon names?  
  
LOTS, of cartoon names…  
  
Eventually, {She} stops, and scrolls back UP to the top of the page. Undernath the first item, Harry Potter, she writes “Watched all movies except the fifth one”, “Watched Deathly Hallows Part I on first day”, “Deathly Hallows Part II is my only midnight movie”, and “In third grade, started saving money just to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter the year it opened”.  
  
… It seems?, like ***Sans*** likes {her} answers???  
  
***{The two of them*}** press on, and on, and on, {Shulk} listing accomplishments?, she’s… … accomplished… regarding each subject. Periodically, times, ***Sans*** slams the table with the pommel of the ❤️ **Masamune** ❤️. ***“YES!”* *he*** encourages, ***“THIS, is rare. Even for ZEALDIANS.  
  
*“This Feat of Knowledge shall SURELY! Raise {your} rank!”***  
  
[Feat of Knowledge? What IS!? This!?: nerds using trivia to beat the shit!? Out of each other?]  
  
… It TURNS OUT? After watching ***{them}*** go at it for a little while longer… [they’re[ right!  
  
Finally, after a shouty, and yet, strangely-touching, argument (💙💛❤️ ***“{You} watched Phineas and Ferb LONGER, than some HUMANS have been MARRIED. _[OF COURSE (⚐︎☞︎ 👍︎⚐︎🕆︎☼︎💧︎☜︎)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23197798)_! {you} should list its Feats of Knowledge!!!”***💙💛❤️), {shulk} finally closes the document. Navigating to the folder where it is stored, {she} copies the file. Following ***Sans’s*** directions, {Shulk} deposits the file in a folder on {her} phone, called [Test. Your. Might.]. As {She{ pastes the file in, {she} sighs in relief, and {her} body and soul relax… but not for long.  
  
[“ ***DUDE!!!*** \--lay up! ***You’re*** 💙💛❤️ **HUGGING!!!** 💙💛❤️ {her} too hard!!!”]  
  
[… … …  
  
[I said that OUT LOUD… didn’t I?]  
  
***He*** turns to [them, now, 💙💛❤️ **magic** 💙💛❤️ encompassing [them[, instead of {Shulk}. [… OOOOOOOH FOOOOOOOORK… …]  
  
***“[YOUR] process shall proceed FASTER.  
  
*“[You] have memories in COMMON, after all.  
  
*“THOUGH,”* *his*** tone softens, and ***his*** intensity lessens somewhat, ***“that shall ALSO complicate any Duel where [{EITHER OF YOU]} may PARTICIPATE, or WITNESS.  
  
*“May {SHULK{, draw on [YOUR] memories, to AID {her}… and vice VERSA?”***  
  
[“UUUUUUH, ***DUDE***? Call up the Experts for the GUILDS {Shulk} chose. I don’t GET why ***you’re*** asking ME to help ***you*** —“]  
  
***“NO.”***  
  
[… Oh no… … …]  
,br />  
***“I MUST, ask [you]!  
  
*“I must PROVE, that the memories gained from [YOUR] Feats of Knowledge, shan’t SIGNIFICANTLY raise {Shulk’s} rank in ANY Guild {She} joins, and VICE VERSA.  
  
*“STATISTICALLY, and PRACTICALLY.”***  
  
]Chara’s] feet, 💙 **SLOOOOOOOWLY dragging forward** 💙, of their own accord. [… Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no…???]  
  
***“THUS, I DO!, need [your] HELP—“***  
  
Faster, ***Sans’s*** magic 💙 **yanks** 💙 [Chara] toward the computer, {Shulk} quickly, but not panicked, standing from {her} seat, and rounding the dining table, so {she} stands off to one—  
  
[“AAAAAAAHHHHH—NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOO!!!!”]  
  
[{YOU’RE} not even gonna TRY!?, to HELP—  
  
[… (sigh) I guess that makes sense… … …  
  
[This music IIIIIIIIS, really badass… … …  
  
[If I, had the choice I’D, be jumping around all hyped—]  
  
💙💛❤️ ***“CHRONO!!!  
**   
*“WHY!? Have [you] NOT! opened [your] OWN! File YET!!!???”*💙💛❤️


	2. Chapter 2

***Most of the contents of this chapter was originally written in June of 2020. The contents of this chapter will certainly change over time, as I think of clearer ways to explain it. Also, I’ll definitely add more information, as I flesh out this headcanon over time.***  
  
The headcanon discussed in this story wasn’t mentioned in Visiontale itself, so it’s not spoilers. I made it in late 2019, when a friend from Discord and I were trying to figure out who would be eligible to become a Zealdian citizen.  
  
She joked that monsters would choose who they wanted to apply, and then argue over which people would do the best during the application process. They’d hold challenges, in anime tourney arc style, to determine which individuals they had singled out to actually pick.  
  
THEN, cue the Gild system… but not before all the jokes about monsters being part of multiple LARPS, and everyone needing a way to know, at a glance, which LARPs someone was in… (Also, cue jokes about sections of the Underground being used specifically for LARPs…)  
  
Basically, Guilds are like glorified fan clubs. (UGH—when I put it like that it’s SOOOOOOO much less cool…)  
  
The Guilds are centered around topics or fields of study, like quantum mechanics or theology, a genre or type of media, like horror films, or their many sub-genres, or anime, or activities, like swordplay.  
  
With (as of initially posting this chapter) one exception, a Zealdian citizen: human or monster, can join as many Guilds as they like.  
  
The leader of a Guild is called an Expert. A human or monster, with (as of the initial posting of this chapter) one exception, can be the Expert of multiple Guilds at once.  
  
An Expert is determined through Feats of Knowledge, tasks or acquired knowledge related to their Guild’s theme/focus. Such tasks can be completed through formal Guild activities, a member’s education, occupation, or spare time. The more involved the task, the fewer members of the guild who have completed that task, and the higher the quantity of such involved tasks someone completes, the higher someone is ranked in a Guild.  
  
To quantify the rarity/difficulty of feats of knowledge, monsters created an app called ***TEST. YOUR. MIGHT.***. In all except the weirdest of cases, the human or monster with the greatest number of rare feats of knowledge is the Expert for that Guild. They enter them into ***TEST. YOUR. MIGHT.*** , like how people track the careers they’ve had on Linkedin. Specificity is important for determining the precise rarity of any Feat of Knowledge.  
  
Once a year, during the interlude (between June 17, 17 during a Leap Year, and July 10, of any given calendar year), all the Guilds in the Underground hold duals to determine the Expert for the coming zealdian year. (The Zealdian year starts on July 10 of one calendar year, and ends on June 16/17 of the next calendar year, with a 22 or 23-day Interlude between Zealdian years). It’s formalized, like duals were in the medieval/Renaissance/early modern period. The rules for Duals are very detailed. I’d know: I tried writing them, and even considered including an updated version of those rules here, but, a long time ago, I got annoyed at how many scenarios I had to account for, so I stopped working on them.  
  
Like real-life duals, before the Dual, the participants set the conditions for the Dual, find witnesses, and so on. Venues to host Duals are (as of now) usually businesses and or public places. Witnesses are necessary alongside recorded footage, because some guilds don’t film their Duals. Also, the witnesses vote to determine whether the rules the participants create are fair. In addition, three more officials must be present during the planning, enacting, and crowning the victor of, a Duel.  
  
Each private business/public space hires someone responsible for recording any Dual which occurs on the property. This individual is called the Third Witness. The Third Witness also provides video, written transcripts, or eyewitness (soulwitness?) testimony to the press or law enforcement, when applicable.  
  
The Second Witness ensures that the participants follow the rules they set out, and maintain order more generally. If you haven’t read Visiontale yet, then take my word for it: monsters have NO CHILL!!! This is because of being made of magic, making them attuned to both their OWN souls, and the souls of everyone around them. TO anyone who HAS read Visiontale: NEED I SAY MORE!? Monsters NEED! Officials like the Second Witness around!  
  
The Second Witness is impartial… well… as impartial as a monster CAN be, because in my AU, monsters believe in being knowledgeable about a subject: not impartial. To them, holding back emotions just to be impartial is wrong.  
  
*******THIS WILL ONLY MAKE COMPLETE SENSE IF YOU’VE READ BEYOND CHAPTER 43 (or maybe 41) OF VISIONTALE.  
  
!!!*******As of the last day of Determination, 201X, or June 16, 2016, monsters have implicitly agreed to the following modifications to the above Dueling rules, regarding the second witness.  
  
!!!*******In short, the Judge, as of 49/Determination/201X (16/June/2016), ***Sans Rene-Kant Gaster*** , may perform the following roles in a Duel, in any Guild or Guilds: regardless of ***his*** Feats of Knowledge, or lack thereof, for the Guild or Guilds in question:  
  
• Third Witness  
• Second Witness (or may be consulted alongside the actual Second Witness/after the actual Second Witness has made a decision)  
• Consulted by the First Witness (explained below), to assist in determining the fairness of the rules created by the Duel’s participants  
• Vote to determine the fairness of any Duel’s rules, alongside the other witnesses  
• May unilaterally alter Dueling rules, if the witnesses present cannot decide on their fairness/if the Duel’s participants can’t decide on a compromise  
• Strip an Expert of their title  
• Strip any Zealdian citizen of the ability to join a specific Guild or Guilds, or, universally, to join any Guild at all  
• Witness the activities of any Guild, regardless of their Feats of Knowledge, or lack thereof, for that Guild  
• Access any materials, in any medium, available to either all of, or a percentage of, a Guild’s members, regardless of their Feats of Knowledge, or lack thereof, for that Guild  
• Permit any prospective Zealdian citizenship candidate to view the daily activities, and or Dueling preparation or enactment, for any Guild or Guilds, regardless of the candidate’s Feats of Knowledge, or lack thereof, for that Guild or Guilds.  
  
*******The Guild system, and using Duels to decide on Experts, is an extension of how the Judge would have been chosen, during the monsters’ war with humankind. The most powerful monster would have been given this position. In Zealdia, and my AU more broadly, knowledge is power, so a monster’s magical strength represents the breadth and depth of their knowledge: learned and theoretical, acquired through any means. Therefore, the Judge, being the strongest, is also the most knowledgeable. In this way, the Judge, is like an Expert for a Guild, but applied to everything, to life in general: not just a specific topic, task, or type of media. This reasoning, is why monsters implicitly agree to assign the above powers to the position of Judge.  
  
*******To be honest, you could easily argue that monsters might implicitly agree to assign MORE roles to the Judge, regarding Guild activities and Dueling protocols. It’s just that 1: I haven’t fleshed out Guild and Dueling protocols enough to determine what these additional roles might be, and 2: the thought of assigning so much power to one individual scares me. Hell—just the above list makes the American inside me die a little—okay maybe much more than a little. This has only become more prominent since the first time I wrote these headcanons, in June of 2020…*******  
  
The First Witness is the most accomplished monster in a Guild, who isn’t participating in the Dual. They help the Second Witness by providing them the knowledge they need to enforce the rules.  
  
  
*The Rules Guild* (cue X Files theme here)  
  
*The Second Witness is part of the Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here), the most secretive Guild of all. Each business has a Second Witness, hired by that business. Only the business owner, and the smallest number of their employees as possible, know that monster is a member of the Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here). Besides them, law enforcement, and the Judge, no one else can know a monster is a member. By joining the Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here), they voluntarily give up the privilege of participating in any other Guilds’ Duels.  
  
*The Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here) is, essentially, what the Second Witness is to Duels. They create, update, and distribute the documents explaining the Dueling rules and Guild operations. They, alongside the Experts for specific Guilds, help determine Guild-specific modifications to Dueling rules and Guild operations.  
  
*However, members don’t just… APPLY. Applicants are picked by current members of the Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here). They are shadowed by current members, in such a way as to not alert the applicant(s) that those shadowing them are members of the Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here). After some number of secret tests of character, and observing the applicant’s(/s’) behavior in everyday life, the members shadowing them convene with their fellow Guild members, to finalize the applicant’s(/s’) membership. If accepted, the shadowing parties take the newly-inducted applicant(s) to the Rules Guild’s (cue X Files theme here) headquarters, where they notify them of, and justify, their membership. Once this occurs, the newly-informed member swears to voluntarily stop participating in any other Guilds’ Duels.  
  
(**I actually can’t decide on whether this, or a newly-inducted member of the Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here) voluntarily giving up the privilege of joining any other Guilds, is more fitting.**)  
  
*This doesn’t necessarily mean that they LEAVE their chosen Guilds. It just means that they can’t participate in Duels: as witnesses, First or otherwise, or as participants. In fact, the Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here) WANTS its members to maintain contact with their Guilds, in order to 1: provide the Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here) with valuable information, about Guilds’ reception of the Rules Guild’s (cue X Files theme here) policies, and 2: to avoid drawing suspicion.  
  
*Like the other Guilds, the Rules Guild (cue X Files theme here) has an Expert. Although I’ve had an idea for who the Rules Guild’s (cue X Files theme here) Expert should be for a long time, the same friend from Discord who suggested the Guild system to me, came up with a better idea. As for WHO it is? I’ll say that they’re not a member of the Party (the group of characters constituting Zealdia’s/Visiontale’s version of the main Undertale cast). They are a character in Undertale, but they are, relatively speaking, a minor NPC. It’s hard for me not to give any hints which spoil Visiontale, but I will say, that this character, is both well-spoken, and a monster of few words. They don’t crack under pressure, even while the world ends around them. Among their kind, they bring order to chaos.*  
  
  
Guild membership is widespread but not universal. As of now, I’d say that at least a third, but not more than half, of monsterkind is in a guild, so about… 27,500 monsters…? Yeh: as of now (I still haven’t pinned this down but it’s remained stable for years by this point, so…) the population of the Underground is 45,000 strong. I realized: the Underground doesn’t have to be as small as it appears in game. There are so many areas we never visit, even though we can see them. The Underground doesn’t have to be a tiny state to achieve the vibes Toby had in mind: they’re a culture that’s completely isolated from humanity physically, but heavily-influenced by us culturally and historically… whether they want it or not.  
  
This headcanon isn’t mentioned in Visiontale not only because I hadn’t conceived of it until I had finished writing nearly all of the current chapters and edits, but because {Shulk} is busy, man. There’s no time for {them} to be messing around with Dueling shit! Within the duration of Visiontale’s story, {Shulk} doesn’t have the chance to experience dualling season. However, because most?, of the ficlets I’m writing now, take place post-Visiontale’s ending, {Shulk} can experience it now!, in all its shouty glory.  
  
*TEST. YOUR. MIGHT.*, and fill in their Feats of Knowledge for the Guilds related to their interests. They learn Zealdia’s customs by participating in Guild activities: during the year AND dualling season, among other tasks. By default, prospective citizens can’t participate in Duals like full members, but they can bear witness to them. If ***Judge Sans*** does not intervene, they can only participate more fully in Duals if all the full participants, a majority of the witnesses present, and the First and Second Witness, agree.  
  
I realized, while writing this description for the first time, that voting on the rules for Duals (heh—I just realized while editing this description for AO3 publication that “rules for Duels” rhymes), and negotiating Dualling venues, is probably the most democratic process in the Underground, considering that they BAAAAAAASICALLY live in an autocracy.  
  
It’s just that Asgore chose, and now, at the time of this story, ***Judge Sans*** chooses, not to harness the full extent of the power associated with being the king, or Judge, respectively.  
  
Upon request, I’m actually writing a third (and maybe fourth—we’ll have to see how much needs explaining) chapter to this story! That chapter will be related to the first two, but not because it will contain an example of a Duel for a certain Guild. It will explain a second use for duels (yes—this is lowercase on purpose because only duels during Dueling Season are capitalized) more generally. This story was requested by another of my Discord friends: not the same one who suggested the Guild system in the first place. To distinguish him from the first Discord friend I mentioned here, I will call him…  
  
… Median.  
  
My first idea was to call him Average, but that seems insulting, and that isn’t the MEANing I wanted to convey. Besides, the median is less biased, statistically, anyway…  
  
I have no idea when I’ll start writing this third chapter, let alone finish it, but I’ll update the chapter notes of the first chapter, when I’ve posted it.


End file.
